The Reluctant Heir (6 page)

Her belief in him began to falter as the world beneath her feet shifted on its plate.

Overwhelmed, she took a sip of her ice water, resisting the urge to hold it up against her forehead.

Instead of drinking tonight, she’d decided to stick to water so that she could keep her wits around Landen, but she was beginning to regret her decision.

"They avoided him after he hit on my mum,” Landen continued as he looked at her with steady eyes, forcing her to believe what he was saying. "She’s even younger than my aunt.”

Rebecca’s stomach lurched. "Surely, it was just a misunderstanding. Perhaps he had something in his eye at the time?” Maybe he had just winked or something and Landen’s mum had taken it the wrong way. Oh dear.
Please just let that be the case.

Not that she didn’t believe that there were bastards out there who did that, but not Mr. Shaw. She couldn’t believe Mr. Shaw would do something that low.

She held her breath as she looked back at Landen, hoping that whatever it was, it was something as innocuous as a wink. But something in his eyes told her it wasn’t.

"He cornered my mum in his office,” he began and her stomach roiled. "Thankfully, my father heard her scream and was able to pull the bastard off of her.”

A bile taste rose in her throat. Mr. Shaw cornering a young woman?

Could what he be saying be true? She thought wildly as she tried to picture Mr. Shaw acting untowardly towards a young woman and she couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

He’d always seemed like the grandfatherly type, imparting random bits of wisdom to the younger generation. Hell. He’d even paid off her student loans. How could she even think that of him? She knew him.

Didn’t she? A voice asked in the back of her mind. Or had she let her excitement at having a mentor blind her to his true character?

It wouldn’t be the first time she’d heard rumors about Mr. Shaw and his younger girlfriends, but she'd always dismissed them, knowing that people always envied the successful.

But why would Landen say such a thing if it wasn’t true? Surely, he wouldn’t drag his parents into all this if it wasn’t.

She saw the seriousness in his eyes and knew that it was true. The person who she had looked up to as a mentor was…

She looked down at her table and felt queasy. How could she have been so wrong about a person?

"Why do you think none of us even bothered with his estate?” Landen asked. "No one wanted to have anything to do with the bastard. Not even one.”

"You did,” she pointed out quietly as she looked back at him and felt her heart go out to his mum and dad and what they must’ve gone through. "You came to the funeral.”

"Curiosity is what got the best of me,” he admitted as he looked away. “Before my parents had told me what had happened, I was in awe that I could be related to such a successful man.”

She frowned when a realization hit. Was it possible that Mr. Shaw had only kept track of Landen because he was so successful?

She had never seen any pictures of any other children or grandchildren around his office or in his house. From the way he had talked so profusely about Landen, it was strange that he had never mentioned the others.

He wasn’t the person she’d thought he was, she realized with a drop in her stomach. The Mr. Shaw that she knew, or thought that she’d known, wouldn't have ignored his other grandchildren’s existence just because they weren’t rich or successful.

"Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry,” she blurted when she accepted what he was saying.

He shrugged.

Hadn’t he been thinking the worst of her as well? Apparently she thought him a lying scumbag while he thought she was nothing but a gold digger willing to sleep with older men. It seemed as if they were both even.

"Let’s start afresh, shall we?” He held out his hand. "Landen Shaw, pleased to meet you.”

She smiled wryly as she took his hand. "Rebecca Kingsley. Charmed.”

Chapter Nine

A month later, they were walking down a loud bustling street, their arms wrapped snugly around each other as if neither could stand the thought of parting the other.

Landen nodded at a billboard on the other side of the street. “I used to date her,” he said nonchalantly as they stopped at the light.

Rebecca rolled her eyes and glanced at the beautiful blond model holding a perfume bottle. Remembering seeing a photo of him with the model in the tabloids, she knew that he wasn’t kidding and felt a sting of jealousy rush through her at the thought of Landen doing what he’d done with her with the model.

She squashed down the jealously and raised her eyebrows as she looked back at him. “Are you trying to make me jealous?”

“Maybe.” His eyes sparked with mischief as he bent down to look at her. “Is it working?”

Of course it was, but she wouldn’t let him know it. Though they’d been dating for a month now, she didn’t think he was really serious about their relationship.

Though she’d been a virgin, she was no innocent. She knew what a relationship with a man like Landen would entail and knew that he was just having a good time.

“Since we’re being honest, I used to date him.” She nodded at a tall handsome man in a dark business suit who was walking their way.

Almost as if he had known he was being talked about, he looked in their direction and then as if in cahoots with her, winked mischievously. Landen caught the wink and tightened his arm around her.

The movement sent a wave of wonderful sensations through her and she couldn’t will down the sense of happiness that shot through her at the sign of possessiveness even if it was just for show. Even if it wasn’t real, it was fun to pretend that he cared enough about her to become jealous.

“But you know,” she continued playfully as they continued walking. “He was getting too needy. I needed my space.”

The truth was that the last boyfriend she had was back in college. It wasn’t that she was career minded or didn’t have enough time for one, but she just hadn’t been looking.

She’d thought the whole dating scene was tiresome ever since her last boyfriend had tried to pressure her into sleeping with him.

He’d seemed so nice before it all and then suddenly it was the only thing that he could talk about until she’d gotten sick of it.

It had been a rude awakening for her and had put her off dating. She didn’t want to have to wonder if whoever she was dating was okay with just dating or if they were only in it for the sex.

She hadn’t known of course, that some things you just knew.

Smiling, she leaned her head on Landen’s shoulder. She had never thought that she could fall for someone as hard as she had for him and she was overjoyed at the fact that he seemed to be enjoying his time with her as well.

She knew that he didn’t have to take breaks out of his busy schedule to take her out to lunch and knew that he could’ve just sent her back on her way in his car afterwards. But instead, he spent most of his lunches with her and even walked her back to her office as he was doing now. It was almost as if he was as reluctant as her to part!

She looked up to his handsome face and smiled. “I have a surprise for you tonight.”

His dark eyebrows rose intriguingly as he looked down at her. Even with her two-inch heels, she was no where near his six feet two inches. “Of the lingerie kind, I hope.”

Now knowing what she could do next time, she smiled. “No, but I want to make sure you have your night free.”

She had booked them tickets to the London Eye. She’d never ridden it before and was excited to be able to do it with Landen.

With his busy schedule, she doubted he’d ever been there either and though it was touristy, it sounded like the perfect thing to do together. Fun and romantic. Just like him.

He pulled her closer to him and warmth spread through her. He kissed the top of her head and smiled. “I’ll be there.”

“Good. But just to warn you, you’re either going to hate it or love it.”

It was just a big indoor ferris wheel, after all.

But still. She’d heard enough good things about it that she wanted to experience it for herself.

Besides, she wanted to do something with Landen with her money.

He always paid for everything and she hated it. It didn’t matter that he had more money than her. It wasn’t right for him to have to pay for everything.

“What could be worse than feeding a large hungry mammal?” he asked, shrugging.

“Hey, I thought you liked the dolphins!”

“I was talking about you.”

She softly punched him his arm. “Well, you’ll still have to do that tonight. What I have planned is for after dinner.”

“And you’re sure it has nothing to do with red lingerie?”

“Maybe later,” she said smiling. The man was insatiable.

She groaned inwardly when the blue awning of her building came into view and she saw his car waiting.

The driver was never late, she thought bitterly. It was as if he was immune to the traffic that plagued every other Londoner with a car.

“I guess I’ll see you tonight,” she said nonchalantly, hoping Landen wouldn’t notice how much she would miss him. She imagined he was used to women clinging onto him and she didn’t want to be like that. When the time came when he didn’t want her, she would bow out amicably without making a fool of herself.

Or so she hoped.

“You’re not trying to get rid of me so quickly?” he joked as he slightly nudged her. “I’ll see you upstairs.”

Adrenaline rushed through her as he directed her towards her door, his hand at the small of her back. He’d never gone up with her and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was starting to become more serious about her.

They passed security and walked into the elevator. “So no hint about tonight?”

She smiled. “It’s big.”

His eyebrows rose. “And it’s not me?”

“You think I would use you as a surprise for yourself?”

He shrugged. “Who wouldn’t be pleased with me?”

“You’re very arrogant,” she said, laughing.

“I never said I wasn’t.”

She shook her head, smiling as they walked out of the elevator. He really was something.

After a few steps, she suddenly became aware of the sudden silence on the floor.

It was so pronounced that she could almost hear the others on the floor breathing. They were watching her.

Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw people rising to look over their cubicles to get a look at them as they headed towards her cubicle.

Suddenly feeling conscious, she wished that he hadn’t wrapped his arms so tightly around her waist and quickened her step.

Why hadn’t she stopped Landen from going up with her?
Oh yes, she remembered dimly. Because she hadn’t wanted to say goodbye.

When they got to her cubicle, she turned to give him a quick peck on the cheek. But instead, he guided her to an empty hallway.

Before she could protest, he lifted her up towards him and was kissing her in way that soon had her forgetting everything but the feel of him.

She groaned when he broke it off.

“I’ve been thinking about doing that all lunch,” he murmured in her hair. He twirled some around her finger. “We should probably get you an office.”

“So you could put a bed in it?” She smiled. “I don’t think so. Besides, I wouldn’t want the others thinking that I’m sleeping with you for anything other than your body,” she joked as she tugged on his lapels and kissed him.

He feigned hurt. “You read me so well.”

“Well you make it quite obvious.”

“I do, don’t I?” He kissed her again. “At least we know each other’s intentions.” He gave her another delicious once over that sent her blood boiling before nodding. “See you tonight.”

As he walked away, Landen urged himself not to turn around to get one last look at her. It wasn’t as if she would disappear the moment he looked away. She would still be there and she would be coming to his flat tonight.

This was crazy, he thought to himself as he tried to shake off the feeling of loneliness that suddenly overtook him.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He shouldn’t be feeling this overwhelming desire to see her again, but somehow, she was quickly becoming an addiction that he couldn't cut.

Instead of moving on to the next woman as he would've normally done so by now, he was contemplating asking her to move in.
To move in.
He’d never lived with anyone before and wasn’t even sure if he knew what he was thinking.

But he hated watching her leave in the morning to go back to her apartment and he wanted that time for himself.

Watching the elevator lights as it came to his floor, he ignored the stares he felt at his back. Maybe it was wrong to have stolen a kiss from Rebecca when everyone in the office knew about them, but he had wanted to.

“Got him whipped good just as she did his grandpa,” a man whispered behind him.

He turned to where he heard the voice and saw two men quickly duck into a cubicle. At the same time, the elevator doors opened and he walked in, ignoring the two.